those Park Slope parents wanting to ban the Good Humor type ice cream truck

[MarkG]

they say that popsicles are unhealthy so they want to keep the ice cream truck away from their playground through some sort of ordinance. as if the guy was a drug pusher. any reactions?

[Kajikit]

Don't they know that if they just ignore their little darling's pleadings and say NO, the icecream man will move on to greener pastures and go sell someplace else? There's no need whatsoever to try to ban the poor guy!

[Bacardi1]

All I can say is that it's a very SAD state of affairs when folks want to push out the last iconic idol of summer.

Even though we lived in a semi-rural area, we still had an ice cream truck drive up daily during the summer, & for one thin dime had a nice treat. But luckily, since our parents all grew their own gardens & were intelligent enough to feed us healthy nutritious meals on a regular basis, they were more than willing to hand us our dimes & let us enjoy our summertime treats.

Oh, the humanity!!

If the same parents that want to ban ice cream trucks took that venom & put it towards feeding their kids more responsibly 365-days-a-year, summertime treats wouldn't be such a hemlock issue, would it?

[Querencia]

This is none of my business as I don't live in New York but I can't help pointing out that ice cream from a truck no longer costs "one thin dime" and that a family with three kids, daily truck visits, and an unemployed parent might not be able to afford these treats. Even if they cost one dollar, and I bet they cost more, the scenario I described would add up to around $90 a month.

[Veggo]

Once a week for the 3 months of summer would be $39. Kids enjoy and remember.

[Bacardi1]

Oh for goodness sake - OF COURSE I realize that ice cream treats from a truck no longer cost "one thin dime". That was DECADES ago. Everything cost less then, & salaries were proportionately lower as well. Today, everything is proportionately higher. And I certainly wasn't bringing the "unemployed" into the scenario.

Thanks for pointing this out to me though.

[freia]

Park Slope residents are generally well employed, no?

[Veggo]

Or prosperously divorced, or inherited well, or have a union pension.

[rochfood]

The ice cream truck coming through my neighborhood was one of the best memories of childhood. I don't live in a neighborhood now (busy road) and the ice cream truck is something I do miss. Do they even hit up neighborhoods anymore ringing their bell ? That sound made being a kid fun. I wish my 5 year old could experience that..but will not. We seem to want to take the fun out of anything.
I also like it when they sit (or used to sit) at the end of the road to the beach entrance down the jersey shore. So you could run through the hot sand and get some cold treat.

[Quine]

Yes, the guy would go to the walk onto the beach ring the bells and run back to the truck as the kids scrambled after. They still do that.

Prospect Park is one of the greatest parks. It's beautiful, with some great wild stuff happening, Red Tailed Hawks nesting, an actual doggie beach, beautiful winter holiday lights and this:
The Great GoogaMooga, A Bonnaroo For Brooklyn Foodies, Reveals Lineup !!!!

Oh man those Park Slopers are gonna go nuts!

See article here:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04...

[AdamD]

I dont agree with a ban, but I can tell you the worst part about the ice cream trucks is that they pull up to the parks at 4pm, just in time for hungry kids and spoiling dinner.

I let my son eat off the truck, as I used to love having a good humor eclair bar or a dipped softee cone when I was young. I just wish they came at 2-3 instead of 4!

[pikawicca]

Does anyone really want vendors coming through their neighborhood on a daily basis marketing junk food to their kids?

[Quine]

But it is, what is the Real World, is. Plain and simple. You do not teach children by removing all bad things from their world, so when they encounter them (and OH and they WILL) later on, they have no way to evaluate what is good, OK, or bad. You show by example and understanding. Yes, there are tempting things out there, yes, shiny, bright, want that toy, but then, you teach why that moment of flash is not a good value. You be the adult and you wait out the toddler temper tantrum, cave in and that temper owns you forever. You cannot, even if you are a Park Slope Parent, helicopter around your child, every second of their life forever, to remove bad things, so they can't see them. You Teach by example. Then cross your fingers.

[Shanel]

Unless these children will be sitting in their rooms 24/7 their parents will have have plenty of other "real world" opportunities to teach them about temptation and moderation. There's meals at home, the grocery store, birthday parties, restaurants, relatives' homes, etc. I've heard the same argument against schools banning soft drinks, or Samoa banning turkey tails. I don't buy it. Plus, if what rachelfran says is true, I don't see the problem.

[jeanmarieok]

My kids are both in college now, both are healthy and fit, and we survived the nightly assault of the ice cream man. Sure, they cried and begged when they were young, every time the ice cream man came around, but we only did ice cream as a treat, maybe once a week. It wasn't always easy to say no, but that's part of being a parent.

[John E.]

Sure, why not? The ice cream guy needs to make a living. If anyone has a problem with 'junk' food, don't buy it. Next there will be a ban on 'junk' food being sold from stores.

[chefdaddyo]

Jeez, get over yourselves, Park Slope parents. It's ICE CREAM! Let them be kids. An occasional low grade ice cream from the truck is part of being a kid. I guess they'd rather their kids come right home for carrot sticks. Let them enjoy their childhood.

[John E.]

I grew up in a small town and I remember an ice cream truck in business maybe two summers when I was in grade school. However, we didn't need an ice crream truck, there was a drive--in restaurant with an attached store a bout a mile down the road. We biked down there all the time from about 7 years on up.

When I was about 12 by buddy and I bought ice cream cones and then climbed up to the railroad tracks behind the store. We went out onto the bridge over the road. He was a little guy and could not finish his cone so he decided to drop it on the windshield of the next car. He did and we were busted. It was his aunt's car.

[Quine]

LOL! Here in NJ, Stafford Township tried to ban the Ice Cream Trucks from playing their usual jingle back in 1998. One truck owner took them to U.S. District Federal court over that ban and WON!

Park Slope Coop is also big on banning foods for various reasons that have nothing to do with the food.
See this Wall Street Journal article:
http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012/...

[mangiare24]

"Does anyone really want vendors coming through their neighborhood on a daily basis marketing junk food to their kids?"

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of eating ice cream from the Mr. Softee or Good Humor truck with my friends on the stoops of our apartment buildings. I guess these Park Slope kids will have to look back on their childhood once they grow up and remember eating vegan broccoli pops their parents made in the safety of their own homes. Ah, how times have changed.

[small h]

My BFF is a Park Slope mom whose 7-year-old is allowed to have ice cream or other treats if he eats his dinner (and probably at other times as well). So on her behalf I will come to the defense of sane Park Slope moms - they're out there. Remember that "normal" behavior rarely makes the news.

[Quine]

Yes, there are sane and nice Park Slopers out there. I lived for a year in the Prospect Park South area and cut across the Park (probably past the play area) to get to The Bagel Hole, for Bagels, The Blue Apron for cheeses as well as other shops there.

You and your BFF should watch http://youtu.be/wfOY36t0uiU I am sure you will ROFL.

[small h]

The navy blue boy's hat incident! I remember that like it was yesterday. Good times.

[Veggo]

I was a Good Humor man for a summer job when I was 18. Long hours and lousy pay and I gave away too many free ones to little tykes with no money. Really the only reward to the job was all the little smiles.

[pikawicca]

Mine, too, but unlike today's kids, I did not have my butt glued to a sofa while I played video games or surfed the Internet. My friends and I were outside, biking, skating, and playing all sorts of very physically demanding games. We could afford the calories in our Good Humor bars. The reality today is radically different, and most kids cannot afford a 300 calorie treat hit on a regular basis.

[Quine]

And it is poor parenting that lets the children glue their butts to the sofa, buys them the video games and lets the unlimited use of computer time happen. But it is easier to let the electronics babysit the kids than to actually parent. Park the kid in front of the TV or DVD player, as soon as they can hold their head straight, so Mom and Dad can relax. The reality hasn't changed, the responsibility of parenting the children has.

[pikawicca]

Frequently, the parents are absent, working a second shift to keep the family going. I don't think that for the majority of parents it's cruise control and let your kids do whatever.

[carolinadawg]

I doubt too many Park Slope moms are working a second shift to keep the family going.

[Quine]

We are talking Park Slope here. Their website (where all this stuff gets said) offers a great deal of information, of how to chose your nanny, going rates for nannies and babysitters etc. So no, in the case of Park Slope, no worries about " the parents are absent, working a second shift to keep the family going."

Here's the site: http://www.parkslopeparents.com/

[jeanmarieok]

Quine - thanks for the link - priceless, and hilarious. http://www.parkslopeparents.com/ They address the ice cream issue about 2/3 down the page......

One of the funniest things I've read in a long time - 'Our children are very often using their playground-time to prepare for their preschool entrance interviews, and thus any distractions have a direct and negative impact on their future.'

[freia]

Seriously??? OMG that link was hysterical! Really???? Problems that I certainly can't relate to... I loved the "requirements" for their ice cream, especially that the cows need to be raised in barns made of recycled plastic bottles but in architecture familiar to a barn so as not to frighten the cows...wow...some people have too much money and time on their hands IMHO...

[mpjmph]

I'm pretty sure that post was a joke, especially since it was signed with a link to a comedian's website.

[small h]

You know that post is a parody, right?

[freia]

Yup, got it! Found it hysterical, and certainly indicates the kind of "thought processes" that must be prevelant in that kind of community!

[Quine]

Freia, watch the Video http://youtu.be/wfOY36t0uiU
It's very funny.

[freia]

Thanks for the link!
Still laughing...
:)

[small h]

It's funny 'cause it's true. You can start a fight on any street corner just by having an opinion about the Park Slope Food Coop. Any opinion. Doesn't matter what it is.

[Quine]

Park Slope is really something that is unique, hippy dippy, yuppie, new age, and very Bethany.

[ChefJune]

<prepare for their preschool entrance interviews> ????
Preschool. Entrance. Interviews??? Why does that sound wrong as two left shoes?

Bring back the ice cream man! (and the jump ropes).

[wyogal]

It was a joke, tongue in cheek.

[small h]

It was indeed, but pre-school entrance interviews are all too real.

[julesrules]

Aren't we getting a bit off-topic? Presumably, the parents who park their kids in front of the TV don't have to worry about ice cream trucks at the park.
(general comment not directed at pikawicca) It's so easy to slam the parents but I don't blame them for wanting the parks to be a zone free of commerce. I let my kids eat all kinds of junk and also make home made ice cream and popsicles but I think the ice cream truck should be an occasional treat. Sure it's my job to say no, but I see a bit of irony here in attacking parents for both being overprotective and yet not supervising enough to keep the kids from accepting ice cream from the truck. Yes small kids should be better supervised and older kids should be taught better, but that doesn't mean this is acceptable on the part of the truck owner!
If there was an unlicensed ice cream truck giving food to kids then asking parents for money at our park I would definitely be unhappy and use available tools (by-laws or whatever) to stop it *in addition to* parenting my kids. The two are not mutually exclusive.

[mpjmph]

I would only add that one of the benefits of a playground is that kids can play freely without being in arms reach at all times. I can totally understand not wanting ice cream vendors on the playground, which is what this situation appears to be.

[John E.]

"On" the playground? I am in favor of free commerce. If the local municipality issues vendor licenses and the ice cream vendor is in compliance, then the ice cream guy should be able to go where he wishes to go whenever he so chooses. It is up to the parents to decide how much ice cream they or their children buy from the ice cream guy.

[GH1618]

It is common in urban ateas to exclude adults from enclosed playgrounds other than those accompanying a child. This is a security measure of obvious importance. Where such a rule exists, it should be applied uniformly.

[John E.]

You must have misunderstood my post. I specifically said if the vendor is in compliance with the local municipality rules then they should be allowed to sell wherever the rules allow.

[wyogal]

and if they are not in compliance (by entering the playground proper instead of staying outside of the playground), they should leave. The problem is that there are rules regarding who can and cannot be on the playground. It's not about the ice cream.

[Quine]

Ouch, snap bang! So if said ice cream vendor brought along a child, all would be easy peasy, lemon squeezy, and the Slopers would welcome with open arms? Just asking?

[GH1618]

A purely hypothetical argument. I expect that having responsibility for a child would interfere with business more than help it. The parents are no doubt concerned with the actual circumstances, not the hypothetical ones.

[mpjmph]

As I understand it, there is a rule against adults hanging out on the playground without a child, but there is also a rule againt food vendors selling thier wares on the playground. So no, bringing a kid along would not make it OK for the ice cream vendors to be on the playground.

[John E.]

I thought I posted that three times?

[GH1618]

Licensing of street vendors doesn't necessarily have anything to do with park use rules. It is not up to the licensing authority to know about all places controlled by other authorities which have restricted access rules.

[mpjmph]

Yes, on the playground. If you read the primary source for this story, a neighborhood discussion board/blog, it's clear that the parents who raised this issue are upset because ice cream vendors are taking their carts into the playground area, where they are not supposed to be according to city code. They aren't upset by the existence of ice cream vendors, or even the presence of vendors in the park. They just don't want vendors in a specific section of the park where kids are supposed to be able to run free in a reasonably safe, controlled environment.

There seems to be a lot of scolding and mocking on this thread re. Park Slope parents, but in this case they are only asking that ice cream vendors follow the existing codes in NYC.

[wyogal]

Exactly. And one never knows what kind of creep is going to show up on a child's playground, pushing an ice cream cart. It's about boundaries, not ice cream.

[chowser]

Well said. There could be more learned by understanding the initial concern, than creating one to be mocked.

[rachelfran]

Really? On chow hound too? To set things straight - no one called for a ban and the discussion revolved around the ice cream sellers who illegally sell their wares within the confines of the playground... Non licensed dealers of any kind are not permitted in the playground. Everyone loves the ice cream trucks outside the park.

[MarkG]

why do you care if the vendors are licensed or not??

[rachelfran]

Really? This is "food" served to children. It is not prepackaged ice cream - there are no DOH specifications ... Vendors have been known to serve kids - and then ask for $$ from their parents... Not to mention that currently adults without kids are not permitted inside playgrounds.

[mpjmph]

Thanks for sharing this information, it does change my opinion at least. If vendors are selling homemade ice cream without a license or being inspected, why isn't the health department stepping in?

[carolinadawg]

Who used the term "homemade"?

[mpjmph]

racehlfran stated the ice cream is not prepackage. I took that to mean it is homemade, but now realize that could mean they are scooping out from commercially-made cartons. Even then, wouldn't the health department take an interest in unlicensed, un-inspected food vendors?

[carolinadawg]

"...but now realize that it could mean they are scooping out from commercially-made cartons."

Yes, that's what I interpreted it to mean as well. And as far as the health department, I know that in my municipality, ice cream vendors are not subject to the same health inspections as restaurants, food trucks, etc. I'm sure the production of the ice cream itself is inspected.

[LaLa]

how in the world did their kid make it over to the truck, order, be served, and their parents not notice? Wow

[Quine]

Exactly the point. The parents are not doing their job (and we will not even think, about children being grabbed or snatched), watching what their children are doing. And the "Stranger danger" rule is also not used, as the children seem to feel free to approach strangers and take items given to them by these strangers.

[GH1618]

That makes sense to me, as a security issue.

[MarkG]

and why are so many internet web sites reporting this as parents trying to cut off their kids from any and all treats

[Quine]

News and newspaper reports: All saying the same, the tots are too tempted and Mommies can't say no :

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/slopers_creamy_river_lcaxb1lj4D0SHqo4f2K3GO

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Park-Slope-Parents-Ice-Cream-Ban-Playground-145868905.html

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/04/02/park-slope-parents-wants-ice-cream-trucks-banned-to-avoid-testy-tantrums-from-tots/

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/04/park-slope-parents-have-nobly-banned-their-own-favorite-treat.html

(they do try to hush it up

)

But:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/03/park-slope-ice-cream_n_1400716.html

And for pure enjoyment:

http://youtu.be/wfOY36t0uiU

[rachelfran]

The original story in the Post was inaccurate.
 
Do you really think the media accurately covers the news?  Or do they sensationalize it to get people appalled and totally outraged?

Did you see this article?

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/201...

[gfr1111]

Thanks for clarifying what the heck the OP was talking about. I love New York (well, Brooklyn in this case) and New Yorkers but they do have a tendency to think that the rest of the country follows all of their local news. Not so. As for the story itself, selling ice cream in the park seems okay, but walking into a (I assume) fenced in playground seems a bit much.

[wyogal]

That is exactly the point, the one most folks here keep missing. If they let the ice cream guy ON the playground, then what is to stop all sorts of vendors from hawing their wares ON the playground? There are rules.

[GH1618]

Don't ask me. I am not responsible for "internet web sites."

[Quine]

If they think it is unhealthy, don't buy them, simple!
Ah, but the real issue is, those types of parents have no idea how to say "no" to their offspring. So rather than fixing that, real problem (which will only get worst and we will have to develop a mega term for helicopter parents), they wish to put a group of people out of business. Gotta love those 1% who only want their kiddies to drink 2% so want to ban whole milk.

[melpy]

Seriously! If you don't want them to have it say no. We have to call home before having a snack at a friend's house. Extreme but some healthy fear of parents is what os lacking nowadays.

[ChefJune]

Agreed. This is sick. We weren't allowed to have popsicles as kids, and they were just as ubiquitous then as now. The ice cream truck came and went on a regular basis, and I'll bet my sister and I can count on two hands the number of times in our whole lives we or anyone else bought us something off one of those.

We had ice cream at home, supervised. Mom said that was the way, and that was the way.

[GH1618]

Sugar is a drug, and a harmful one. But it's legal, so I don't know that they can ban it. The problem must be solved on a higher level than the local ice cream truck.

[carolinadawg]

Sugar is not a drug, and I don't think there is a problem to be solved, unless one considers poor parenting to be a problem.